Buckle



Feb. 12, 1952 M. c. BECKER 2,585,619

BUCKLE Filed Dec. 28, 1948 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 IN V EN TOR.

Marika/24km Cfiecziz- ATTORNEY M. C. BECKER Feb. 12, 1952 BUCKLE 2 SHEETSSHEET 2 Filed Dec. 28, 1948 INVENTOR. lfaxzkzzifizzzz afiecziw BY v ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 12, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BUCKLE Maximilian 0. Becker, East Orange, N. J.

Application December 28, 1948, Serial No. 67,710

3 Claims. (Cl. 24-200) This invention relates to novel articles of manufacture. In one of its more specific aspects the invention is directed to novel buckles and also to articles of manufacture having at least one of said novel buckles as a component part thereof. The novel buckles of this invention may be made in one piece units and are of simple and rugged construction.

Fig. 1 is a top plan View of an example of a buckle embodying this invention.

Fig. 2 is an end view of the novel buckle shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of another example of a buckle embodying this invention.

Fig. 4 is an end view of the novel buckle shown in Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a top plan view of a tire chain having novel buckles coupled therewith.

Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view illustrative of the first and second steps in the method of coupling with a tire and wheel the combination shown in Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the next step of coupling.

Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the completed coupling.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of another modification of the buckle shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 10 is a diagrammatic view in perspective of a belt embodying the invention.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, one of the embodiments of my novel buckles comprises a body I0 composed of any desirable material, such as fabric, leather, metal, wood, plastic, laminated paper or cardboard, which is fairly rigid. Among some of the plastics which may be employed are the phenol-aldehyde, vinyl ester polymers and copolymers, methyl methacrylate etc. resins. The body I0 may be of any desirable shape or configuration and as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, is in the form of a rectangular flat plate. The body I!) has a pair of transverse slots II and I2 which are approximately parallel to each other, of the same general width and length and extending through one of the longitudinal edges of body-I 0. These elongated slots II and I2 define an elongated finger I3 at the approximate center of body Ill. The body It! has also a pair of elongated openings I4 and I5 which are approximately parallel to each other, and measuring in length and width about the same as the slots I I and I2. These openings I4 and I5 are parallel to the slots II and I2 and are centrally located well within the longitudinal edges of the body I0. Integral with the body II] or in any other manner secured thereto are a pair of ribs I6 and I1 located at the outside edges of the slots I I and I2, with that portion of each of said ribs near the open end of said slots being bevelled or inclined at I8.

If desired. a pair of spaced circular openings 'oranother transverse opening (neither shown) may be provided in either or both ends of the body II] for anchoring or attaching permanently if desired, one end of a band or belt thereto. Alternatively the endwise dimensions of the openings I4 and I5 may be set so that either of them may serve as an opening through which one end of a band or belt may be anchored and still allow a sufficient widthwise opening therethrough for the demountable locking operation hereinafter described.

In use, a band or the like may have one end thereof anchored or coupled with the body II] in the manner hereinbefore described. Then the buckle carrying band or belt is wrapped around an object and the free end thereof may be inserted through the opening I4 and a stretch thereof inserted into the slots II and I2 and the free end inserted into the opening l5. The bevels or inclines I8 provide a means of ready insertion whereupon the stretch rides upwardly thereon to the main locking portions of the ribs which together with the finger I3 locks the free end against longitudinal movement, and the closed ends of the slots I4 and I5 lock the free end of the band against transverse movement.

In the embodiment shown in Figs. 3 and 4, there is provided a body 20 of any desirable composition. The body 20 comprises a main portion 2|, having integral therewith a narrow portion 22 at about to portion 2I and a portion 23 which is integral with portion 22 and off-set with respect to main portion 2|. The main portion 2i has a pair of transverse slots 24 and 25 similar to slots II and I2 of Fig. 1 except that the outer ends thereof are flared on one side to provide a finger 26 whose outer end 2'! is tapered on each side, and said tapered outer end 21 is off-set and located to one side of the front face of main portion 2I in a direction away from or towards the plane of off-set portion 23. Transverse slots 28 and 29 are located in the main portion 2I at that end thereof away from portion 22 and in the portion 23 and are similar toopenings I4 and I5 of Fig. 1. These slots 28 and 29 extend through the longitudinal edge of body 26! opposite the longitudinal edge thereof through which slots 24 and 25 extend.

The buckle shown in Figs. 3 and 4 may be coupled with a'band or belt and used in the same general manner hereinbefore described in connection with that of Figs. 1 and 2.

The buckle shown in Fig. 9 comprises a body 30 having a main portion 3| and a narrower por tion 32 disposed at about right angles to portion The main portion 3! has a pair of slots 33 and 34 therein similar to slots II and I2 of Fig. 1 and defining a finger 35, and an opening 35, similar to opening I5, and the minor portion 32 has an opening 31 similar to opening I I. Centrally disposed along the longitudinal axis of the finger 35 is a rib 39 similar to ribs I5 and I? of Fig. l.

The adjacent ends of the major and minor portions 3i and 32 have openings 38 for accommodating coupling rings or links of a chain.

It is to be undestood that in the embodiment shown in Figs. 1 and 2 but a single rib I! may be used and located either adjacent a longitudinal edge of one of the slots I I or H! or on the central longitudinal axis of finger l3; and that slots similar to slots 23 and 29 may be used instead of openings M and !5. Such modifications of the closed openings in Figs. 9 and 10 are also within the scope of this invention.

An embodiment of the combination whichmay be provided with the novel buckles of this invention is illustrated in Fig. 5. As shown there is a pair of chains 53 and End links-of chains 50 and 5! are connected to a buckle 53 of the type shown in Fig. 9 and to a buckle 5.4 of the, type shown in Fig. 1.

The novel combination shown inFig. 5 maybe easily and readily combined with a wheel of an automobile. As shown in Figs. 6-8 there is an illustrative embodiment of said wheel which comprises the wheel per so which is of the disc type and has opening 56 therethrough. Mounted on the rim 5'! is the tire 53 and tube 59combination. The first step which maybe employedin combining the so-called emergency chain shown in Fig. 5 with the wheel is to insert one end 60 of a fiexible belt 5! through the opening 56. This insertion takes place by standing on the outside of the wheel and inserting the end .10 in the direction of the arrowas shown in Fig. 6 towards the inside of the wheel. Then after a portion of the strap 6! is threaded through the opening 56 in the manner described, the end 60 is grasped by the hand and then is pulled over'and around the tire 59 to locate the free end 60 on the outside of the wheel. The strap or belt 6!, which I prefer'to employ, is of a thickness corresponding to the width of the slots and openings of thebuckles 53 and 54. Then the end 50 iscoupled with the buckle 54 in the manner heretofore described and the parts are disposed in the relative positions shown in Fig. 6. After this coupling operation the other end of the strap 6 is grasped by the hand and is pulled towards the outside of the wheel to locate the parts in the relative positions shown in Fig. 7. Then this free end of the strap 6! is threaded through the slot 36 and is tightly drawn. A stretch thereof then is inserted in the slots 33 and 34 with a portion thereof bearing against the rib 39 and the outer end'of the strap is extended through slot 3]. With this arrangement that portion of the strap .6 !-extending through the slots 33 and 34 and bearing against the rib 39 is snubbed or anchoredagainstlongitudinal movement and any .force acting longitudinally on the combination will tend tdmore firmly snub and lock the strap to the buckles53 and 54, while the closed ends of the slots and the opposite ends of the openings co-act to lock the straps to the buckles againsttransversemovement.

Still another combination which maybe provided with the novel buckles of this invention is illustrated in Fig. 10. As shown there is a body or trouser belt consisting of an elongated strap or band 151, one end H of which maybe narrowed and the other end of which may have one of the buckles of this invention coupled therewith in any convenient manner. The belt-buckle combination may be a Single unitary homogeneous element composed-of appropriate plasticmaterial. with the buckle 13 being off-set with re spect to the belt proper and of the type shown in Fig. 1. One of the materials which is preferably employed may be any of the polymeric or copolymeric vinyl esters or polymethyl methacrylate, appropriately compounded and cured or seasoned so that the combination may have the desired transverse rigidity characteristics. The entire combination may be compression molded and cured, or extruded and cut and cured or seasoned to provide the combination shown in Fig.10.

While the various openings such as [4 and I5 of Fig. 1, 28 and 29 of Fig. 3 and 36 and 31 of Fig. 9, as well as those shown in the combinations illustrated in Figs. 5 and 10 are all within the outer longitudinal edges of the buckles, these openings may all be in the form of slots extending through that edge of the buckle opposite the edge through which the finger-defining slots extend.

I claim:

l. A buckle comprising a member having a pair of spaced slots extending through one of the edges thereof, afinger between said slots, said member having a pair of spaced openings, with said slots located in the space between said openings, and a pair of ribs secured to said element, each rib extending lengthwise along a slot near the longitudinal edge thereof more remote from the other slot, said slots and said ribs being substantially parallel to each other.

2. A buckle comprising a member having a pair of spaced slots extendin through one edge thereof, a finger located between said slots and having a free end located at the mouth of said slots, a rib secured to and extending outwardly from a face of said member, said member having a recess therethrough located to one side of said slots and said rib, the closed end of one of said slots located between the planes of termini of said recess, said slots and said ribs being substantially parallelto each other.

3. A buckle comprising a member having a pair of spaced slots extending through one of the edges thereof, a finger between such slots, said member having a pair of spaced slots extending through the edge thereof opposite said first mentioned edge, said first mentioned pair of slots located in the space between said other pair of slots, and a pair of ribssecured to said element, each rib extending lengthwise along a slot of said first mentioned pair of slots and near the longitudinal edge thereof more remote from the other slot of said first mentioned pair of slots.

MAXIMILIAN C. BECKER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 819,119 Buoy May 1, 1906 873,445 Maltby Dec. 10, 1907 979,947 Hayden et a1 Dec. 27, 1910 1,333,788 Bell Mar. 16, 1920 1,541,701 Gaunt June 9, 1925 1,768,977 Ealy July 1, 1930 2,065,635 Blum Dec. 29, 1936 2,101,583 Lisowitz Dec. 7, 1937 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 631,071 Germany June 11, 1936 856,276 France Mar. 18, 1940 

